INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TORTHELL ROBINSON|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author Torthell Robinson on my blog today. His book Father Time is out now.

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Torthell: Not sure that I have always wanted to be a writer but, I was always good at telling stories. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, but I did not take writing that seriously growing up because there was not a strong supporting system from my hometown. Once I moved away and explored the world my passion for writing elevated, and here we are.

Me: What made you pen down Father Time?

Torthell: I wanted to tell a story from my hometown that people around the world could relate to.

Me: Tell us a little more about the plot of the novel.

Torthell: The relationship between father and son can be incredibly complex, full of twists and turns, highs and lows. Every relationship has its fair share of problems, but no one knows strained dynamics like the protagonist Trevor Russell. He soon discovers what it is like to walk in his own father’s shoes, discovering a newfound appreciation for the gift of time. Despite being able to overcome those demons to achieve his own goals, Trevor is forced to face his past when his estranged father shows up unannounced. While facing the uncomfortable truths from his youth, Trevor experiences severe writer’s block along with discovering that he is going to be a father. Needless to say, panic ensues.

He faces his past while trying to flee from his present, bringing him into a pattern of mending old wounds. However, there is only so far vengeance can take you before it and Father Time comes knocking for payment. Father Time is a touching story that teaches readers that vengeance is a self-sabotaging route to wander down and even if it is successful at times, it will eventually lead to future problems and even failure. Unfortunately, everyone deals with many similar problems in life, and Father Time provides great insight to resonate with readers to prove that time can potentially be the worst thing that a person can waste in their lifetime.

PURCHASE

Me: Do you hold grudges, or do you forgive easily?

Torthell: Yes, I do hold grudges. But I use that energy as motivation to become a better person than I was from the moment the grudge initiated. I would not necessarily say I forgive easily but, time heals all wounds. I forgive but, I never forget.

Me: How long did it take for you to write it?

Torthell: I would say it took me about a year and some change to write it.

Me: Did you have a writing schedule?

Torthell: Not really. When I am engulfed in a story, nothing else matters until I am finished with the tasks at hand. I would start writing around 9 am and, I would be up until 3 am at times.

Me: Describe Trevor in 3 words.

Torthell: Product of Environment

Me: Are there any new projects underway?

Torthell: Yes, I have a series that I plan to continue writing once I’m done with the initial marketing process of Father Time. I have multiple scripted concepts that I plan to produce shortly but, I have to take one project at a time.

Author Torthell Robinson is a proud United States Air Force Veteran who has made the transition to writing and producing with Arrogant View Products. Through his passion, he seeks to write impactful content to reach readers of all backgrounds and lifestyles. At the end of the day, the human race is tied together by time. Father Time drives home the importance of cherishing each moment and not taking life for granted, no matter what cards have been dealt.

Through proof of concept, dedication to the craft, and unwavering commitment to impactful storytelling, Torthell Robinson and Arrogant View Production’s purpose-driven vision has come to fruition with the release of Father Time, now available in digital format, formally releasing on paperback and hardcover on November 16th.

Find Torthell on:

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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR D.A. OLIVIER|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author D.A.Olivier on my blog today. Her novel Her Neighbor is out now!

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Olivier: I was always a reader.  It was actually my second-grade teacher who put the idea of writing in my head since I was always ahead of my peers on reading expectations.  From there, writing has always been a comfort to me.  Even if what I created stayed in my journal, the process of creating was cathartic.

Me: How did the story of Her Neighbor come to you?

Olivier: I was with my own childhood neighbor at a random bar on a random night just catching up on life.  We had not seen each other in a while.  He asked me when I was going to write “the novel,” and I pushed back with excuses and he dared me.  He knows my stubborn streak, so he knew I could not back down from a dare.  The next day I started writing.  You write what you know so I started with my childhood neighbor and then of course took it in a whole other direction.

B & N| AMAZON |POWELL’S|TARGET

Me: What are Julienne and Daniel to each other? Friends, partners, neighbors?

Olivier: Well, that is the ultimate question.  That is what the novel is attempting to answer the whole time.  They are different things to each other at different parts of their life. They are best friends; they are each other’s family; they are each other’s safety net. Are they co-dependent in a good way or a bad way? You, as the reader, decide.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CASSIDY WARD|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author Cassidy Ward on my blog today.

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Cassidy: I don’t know about always, but since I was a teenager at least. I always wanted to do something creative. For a while, that was singing and playing in bands. For a while it was visual art or making short films with friends. All of that requires finding a group of likeminded folks who have the same level of drive and commitment. If anyone in the group is more or less committed, it tends to fall apart. Writing ended up being the perfect space for me because I could do it at my own pace. For the most part, you’re not trying to schedule with other people in order to get it done. The solitary nature of it appeals tome.

Me: How did the story of Ravel come to you?

Cassidy: It came from a photo posted by a couple of my best friends. One of them had knitted a sweater for the other. It was this sort of mishmash of color that perfectly embodied their personality. I looked at it and thought ‘that looks like you took a piece of their soul, spun it into yarn, and made a sweater. It got me thinking about what it might be like if a person could do that.

Me: What made you take the leap and pen it down?

Cassidy: I was just captured by this idea of taking intangible things and making them tangible. What you might be able to do if you could pull the threads of the hard parts of life and tuck them away. If you could stitch up a moment that went wrong, or accidentally unravel something really important.

Me: What is the deciding element in writing solid horror according to you?

Cassidy: It’s a tough question. I don’t know if there is a deciding element. Fear means something different to everyone. Which I think is great, it means there are different stories which will resonate with different people. For me, it’s not really about monsters or creepy crawlies, though those are fun, it’s about loss. That, I think, is the great tragedy of living. That you can lose something, or someone, and not get them back. A monster can injure, but loss can steal the future you imagined. That’s scary.

AMAZON

Me: How long did it take for you to write it?

Cassidy: If I added up only the minutes I was actually writing, not all that long. It’s a short book. But the days between the first word and the last spanned several months. It started as a short story, five or six thousand words, which was sort of only the beginning and the end of the story. Then I realized I had more to say about Nana Baker and Carol Ann and Dennis. So it ballooned a little. Turns out, there’s still more story to tell, and I’m excited to get back to it.

Me: Did you have a writing schedule?

Cassidy: I do have a writing schedule and I almost never follow it. In a perfect world I’d wake up around 4:00, put on the kettle, and write until the sun comes up. I find my best writing happens in the dark, when the rest of the world is quiet. But life often intervenes, and my days are longer than I’d like. Getting up early doesn’t happen as often as I plan. So, I write when I have the space.

Me: Tell us a little more about the story-its main characters.

Cassidy: Dennis is the initial entry-point, the first POV. I guess he’s sort of me when I was a kid. A little awkward. Shy. Not so good at expressing his feelings verbally, for fear of the outcome. But it’s not really his story. Dennis just gets us through the door. It’s really about Nana Baker and Carol Ann. Nana is a combination of the best women in my family, the sort of archetypal matriarch, loving and wise. She’s the person everyone wants in their corner, and I’ve been lucky to have a few of those people in my life. Carol Ann is sort of the kid I wished I’d been. Brave, honest, loyal to a fault.
The magic system, which I guess is how you can think of ravelling, involves this family of women and their ability to capture the threads of reality, of emotion, of memory, and spin them into tangible objects. They can see how things are made, how to repair them when damaged, and how to undo them when necessary. There’s a lot of potential in the world when you can see and manipulate its fabric.

Me: Are there any new projects underway?

Cassidy: Oh, sure. There are always new projects. I have a science fiction novel I’m working on, and a non-fiction book I’m hoping will find a home somewhere. My writing group has new anthologies out every year, we’re working on one right now. And, of course, there are two more Ravel books coming your way. I’m excited to go on that journey with Nana, Carol Ann, Dennis, and the rest of the gang, and to share it with all of you.

Cassidy Ward is an author and journalist. He covers science, pop culture, and the ways they cross over, at SYFY.com. He’s written for Observer, StarTrek.com, and Big Shiny Robot. You can find his short stories in a number of anthologies and, of course, his debut novella, Ravel, is available now from Omnium Gatherum.

Connect with Cassidy on:

Twitter|Website|SYFY author page

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TIMOTHY BRYAN|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author Timothy Bryan on my blog today. His book Chindi is available for purchase now. Click here to join his mailing list.

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Tim: I am a bit older (50), so I’ve had the good fortune to be able to live a bit, which has helped to give me some life experience when becoming a writer. I wanted to write from a very young age, but the process and execution of stories was intimidating, so I made and finished a career in government until recently.

In the last few years, I’ve been able to piece together a horror-centric worldview and focus on prose that allows me to follow this wonderful dream of creating horror fiction. It’s really the perfect job for those with a passion for their subject and a desire to engage the reading public.

Me: How did the story of Chindi come to you?

Tim: I am a great lover of horror and thrillers; it is the only form of entertainment, be it from movies or books, that I follow. It’s been that way since before I was a teen. I grew up in California very near to a Native American reservation, so I latched onto an idea of folklore that would pit the old world of the tribes against the incoming soldiers of the expanding USA. Having a clash of different worldviews, along with an awakening ancient evil, provides a great opportunity for multiple levels of conflict, as well as to scare and entertain audiences. There’s not a lot of Native American horror stories out there, and I felt having a mid-nineteenth century setting for the story was perfect and unique.

Me: What is the deciding element in writing solid horror according to you?

Tim: The element is to make a person feel the emotions of people in the story. Whether it makes the reader afraid, sad, startled, worried, etc., a good horror story is not just about gore or raucous violence—though that is also an important aspect. I want people to love and hate my characters, to make them part of their ongoing dread-filled or suspenseful experience. If I succeed in that, it is worth everything to me.

AMAZON|BARNES AND NOBLE

Me: How long did it take for you to write it?

Tim: The book itself took about three months, but the story idea and characters were developed over several years. I had to populate the story with the most heinous monster and situation that I could develop, and to do that was not a simple matter. Chindi is the perfect and unique demon, but he took some time to coax into existence.

Any reader who is fond of horror will see that it’s worth a longer development cycle to make something like this. Hopefully.

Me: Did you have a writing schedule?

Tim: Yes, I find I write better and with more creativity in the morning to early afternoon. I am a writer who edits extensively as I go along, as I don’t want to deal with multiple extended drafts. My writing style is also concise and descriptive, because I don’t want to bore readers, and I love good pacing in a story. This type of approach can only work well if my head and mental focus are clear.

Me: Tell us a little more about the story-its main characters.

Tim: The story is about a US Army Lieutenant and a Native American Chief who must face an awakening evil from the world of the North American Indian. It is a vicious and predatory demon that is trying to destroy anything living. They can only survive this despicable monster if they work together, which is not an easy thing for former enemies.

Lieutenant George Crook is actually based on the real-life General George Crook, who was an Indian fighter in the US army and died in 1890. He was a passionate supporter of the Native Americans, so I like his inclusion in the horror story, because in many ways he respected his enemies more than his own government.

On the other side is Chief Hakan, who is an archetype of the suffering tribes and their leaders during that traumatic time period, and he will truly give anything for his people. The battle against their wretched foe will play out against a backdrop where they share no culture or common interests. So, they must wage their fight based only on their shared humanity and for self-preservation.

The various soldiers that populate the story are taken from old rosters of actual men who served at the time, and the fort and area it describes are all very real. I’ve been to most of these areas I describe.

Me: What do you like to do in your free time?

Tim: My free time is filled with raising three great boys, as well as trying to soak up whatever horror movie or book that matches my fancy. It’s easy to do because I’m basically a boring person who likes to stay home, and of course writing keeps me busy otherwise.

Me: Are there any new projects underway?

Tim: I have finished my next book, The Huntsman of Corvinus, which is due out Feb. 1, 2022. It is a contemporary story of an American family being hunted by a supernatural killer in Budapest, in Central Europe. It should be a thoroughly enjoyable and utterly distinctive novel.

Other than that, I have a slate of six other books I am developing, so my aim is to publish a new one every 3-4 months after the first of February. I know that when I really like an author, I want to read his or her stories often, so I try to be prolific for readers. It’s sometimes hard to find a good book, but I plan to offer a new one quite often.

Tim lives in Nevada, USA, where he makes a life enjoying all things horror-related, from films to books—and even the occasional convention. He has three children, two cats, and he enjoys providing reading entertainment for the monster and creature-loving masses.

Connect with Tim on:

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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR EVALYN LINAH|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author Evalyn Linah on my blog today. Her childrens’ book The Only Star: the chosen light is available for purchase now.

Me: What made you pen down The Only Star: The Chosen Light?

Evalyn: The Only Star The Chosen Light is really about “the little engine that could” figuratively speaking. The book came to me in a dream about a story of a star who thought he needed the approval of everyone else to be successful. He was a single star in all of the universe that changes the entire galaxy with a single thought. So I decided that he wouldn’t only be The Only Star but that he was: the chosen light.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JORDAN SPICER|AUTHOR INTERVIEW

It is my pleasure to host author Jordan Spicer on my blog today. This book Tales of Reverba: A New Ember is available for purchase now.

Me: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Jordan: I wanted to be a lot of things when I was younger. A detective, a doctor, a swordsmen. While I always enjoyed writing and telling stories I never pictured myself being a writer until about middle school and even then I pictured myself writing stories for video games and the like. In a way being a writer was always something I wanted to be I just… never really knew how to get on that path.

Me: How did The Tales of Reverba come to you?

Jordan: Over the years I thought of many worlds both set on Earth and in different places. Tales of Reverba is a mix of one of my older worlds and a newer one. The old version came to me in a vivid reoccurring dream which I hung onto and would often think of over the years. The new version was created in college after learning more about spirituality, lucid dreaming and various other pseudo sciences that I researched out of both curiosity and fun.

Me: What made you finally pick up the pen and write it?

Jordan: went through a very rough patch in college and I realized I was happiest when I was writing or daydreaming up a world. Whether it was for some casual rping, D&Ding, shooting the shit with some friends about various ideas for fantasy worlds. I was just happy doing it, so I figured why not do it on a bigger scale?

Me: Did you have a writing schedule?

Jordan: Sort of, I would try to write everyday after work typically from like 5-9. It wasn’t always successful, sometimes work was draining or I couldn’t get into the zone because I had to constantly stop and take care of chores. There was a few periods where I decided that if I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep I would just get up and write. It also worked but then I would end up struggling to stay awake towards the end of my shift so I had to stop that for safety reasons.

AMAZON

Me: How long was the journey to get it published?

Jordan: I started writing in 2016 with the intent to get my book published. After many rewrites and rejections from publishing houses, I decided to take matters in my own hands and went down the self-publishing route. Though I will admit, not all 5 of those years were focused on Tales of Reverba: A New Ember. I practiced various writing techniques by writing some short romance books. During one break with A New Ember I wrote the first draft of the next book in the series. Wrote a rough script for a graphic novel idea I plan to finish in the future. But even though I did all of this, I feel like this ended up helping A New Ember grow much stronger. By the time I came back to work on the book again I could see sections of my writing that evolved by leaps and bounds.

Me: Tell us something about the world of Reverba.

Jordan: Oh my, there’s so much I can say. I think one of the things I am most excited for people to see is the various races I created. In total there are 7 unique races not including the freshly returned humans. There are also 7 Great Beasts existing somewhere in the world.

Me: How many books do you intend to release in this series?

Jordan: I intend to release 25 books in the series. “Wow! That’s a lot.” You might be saying but Tales of Reverba is a series that focuses on five unique humans going through the world. The Story of Fire which starts with New Ember will get five books. The other four humans will also get five books In their storylines each of these humans will go through the world in their own way and fashion. This will allow readers to see as much of this wide world of Reverba as possible.

Me: When should readers expect the next book to release?

Jordan: The next book Tales of Reverba: A New Ripple is planned for around January maybe February 2022.

Jordan Spicer is a young African-American, who longed to write stories with faraway worlds filled with gigantic monsters, developed cultures and species, exotic foods and lots of magic. When he is not writing, leading his D&D group into battle (Or deadly traps), you can either find him rock climbing, clashing swords in a fencing match, watching anime or simply enjoying a good game.

Connect with Jordan:

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